“I think we’re still that close,” said Hillsman, who saw his team fall on the wrong side of the bubble last year. “I think we’ve put ourselves in a position where if they don’t have us (in) already, we are very close to being there. I really believe that we don’t have any bad losses on our schedule up to this point, and we have some very good wins. We’ve won five in a row (in the Big East), so we’re finishing very strong.”

On Saturday, Syracuse used a strong second half to close out Providence, which fell to 12-15 overall and 5-10 in conference play.

After both teams struggled in the first half – with the Orange grabbing a 27-19 lead while making only 28.6 percent of its shots to just 21.9 percent for Providence – SU used a decisive run to break open the contest. Leading 30-27, the Orange outscored Providence 20-5 for a 50-32 edge with 9:48 remaining. The Friars got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

The burst was highlighted by a block, rebound and layup by 6-foot-4 sophomore center Kayla Alexander, who led Syracuse with 18 low-post points on 7-of-16 shooting despite battling a cold. Her effort was supported by Iasia Hemingway, who scored 14 points from the high post and guards Erica Morrow and Carmen Tyson-Thomas, who each contributed eight points.

“We did a very good job of covering their shooters and we did an awesome job of throwing the ball inside,” said Hillsman, who credited the senior guard tandem of Morrow (four assists) and Tasha Harris (seven assists) with feeding the Orange’s big players in the lane.

“When you look at Kayla, she’s not screaming for the ball, but it seems like (our guards) are saying, you’re going to take it, you’re going to shoot it,” Hillsman said. “So, they did a very good job of saying, ‘Whether you want it or not, we’re throwing it to you.’ ”

While Syracuse improved its second-half shooting to 48 percent, its defense held the Friars to 29 percent for the last 20 minutes and 25.4 percent for the game.

“We just had inconsistent play across the board throughout the whole game – and that’s been kind of the story of our team,” said Seymore, whose team was led by Mi-Khida Hankins with 17 points and Teya Wright with 14. “We can’t shoot 16-of-63 from the field.”

Syracuse will close out its regular season Monday night when it travels to Connecticut to face the two-time defending national champions on a senior night to recognize Maya Moore, the best player in the women’s game.

Hillsman said he expects the atmosphere to be electric, with a full house and a loud crowd that has been hostile to Syracuse in recent years. But even if SU’s chances are slim against the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Hillsman said there is still value in it for his team.

“UConn’s a very good basketball team and they have very good players and this is our opportunity to play the No. 1 team in the country,” Hillsman said. “I guess it will help our RPI. It’s an RPI game.”

Following Monday’s game, the brackets will be set for the Big East Tournament, which begins Friday. Syracuse appears likely to be seeded either eighth or ninth. An 8 seed would bring a first-round bye.